It is important to know how your enrollment status is evaluated in terms of financial aid eligibility. Note the bulleted items below:
You should notify the Financial Aid Office in writing if you will be enrolled less than full-time so that your aid can be adjusted. Also, as a rule, students should always check with the Financial Aid office when considering a withdrawal from courses or the university.
Good Academic Standing Requirements and Receipt of Graduate Financial Aid
Requirements
Federal regulations require that all financial aid recipients maintain program pursuit and make satisfactory academic progress toward completion of degree program requirements (referred to as Good Academic Standing). The Financial Aid Office evaluates student aid recipient progress according to federal requirements for TEACH, Direct Stafford and Direct Graduate PLUS loans at the completion of the academic year. Please refer to the chart below.
Good Academic Standing Chart for Graduate Financial Aid
| Before receiving Federal aid prior to this semester, you must meet all the three criteria below |
3rd |
5th |
7th |
| Percentage of attempted hours that must be completed with a passing or failing grade |
65% |
85% |
85% |
| Student must have accrued at least this many credits |
12 |
24 |
48 |
| With a minimum grade point average of |
2.50 |
2.75 |
3.00 |
Notification Procedure
Compliance with guidelines for receipt of federal financial aid (see chart above) is evaluated for all graduate students on a yearly basis at the end of the Spring semester. The Financial Aid Office will notify students who become ineligible for financial aid within one month after the Spring semester if they have not met the eligibility requirements. The notification letter will inform the student of loss of aid at Fredonia for the subsequent semester and it will also outline the waiver procedure that must be followed if the student chooses to appeal the decision.
Waiver Procedure
Reinstatement of graduate federal financial aid may be approved only when unusual circumstances prevented the student from meeting the expected criteria (see chart above) and there is sufficient documentation supporting the request for reinstatement. A request to reinstate federal graduate financial aid for the next semester is initiated via the Waiver Application Form sent to you by the Financial Aid Office and will be evaluated based on the student’s documentation of the unusual circumstances that led to the cancellation of such aid. A student choosing to use the waiver process to request reinstatement of financial aid must complete and submit the Waiver Application Form along with appropriate documentation to the Graduate Studies Office, 6th Floor Maytum Hall, for evaluation by the committee.
Graduate Opportunity Tuition Waiver
The Graduate Opportunity Waiver Program provides a full waiver of tuition to former EOP, SEEK, or HEOP students who are accepted or enrolled as full-time students in a graduate degree program. To apply, students should submit proof that they were enrolled as undergraduates through one of the special admission programs named. Contact any EOP or HEOP office for information.
Veteran's Administration Educational Benefits
Those veterans or dependents who are, or feel they are, eligible for federal financial assistance through the Veterans Administration should contact the School Certifying Officer, Office of Financial Aid, 209 Maytum Hall, (716) 673-3253, or email veteran.affairs@fredonia.edu. Students are urged to begin their VA paperwork before the beginning of the school term in order to hasten processing. To further facilitate the start of benefits, the veteran, or the children, spouses, and/or survivors of veterans whose deaths or permanent total disabilities were service-connected, should present pertinent data, such as the service number, dates of service, discharging papers, and any other VA claim information. Students must complete a VA Form 22-1990 at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply and the Veterans Fact Sheet at https://sites.google.com/a/fredonia.edu/veteransfactsheet in order for VA benefits to be certified.
Adult Career and Continuing Education - Vocation Rehabilitation (ACCESS-VR)
The State of New York, through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, provides financial assistance for those students who qualify under prescribed conditions. For additional information contact the nearest Rehabilitation Office.
Assistantships/Fellowships
Assistantships: Graduate, research, and teaching assistantships are available to highly qualified graduate students in many academic departments. Graduate assistants normally carry a 6 to 9 credit hour course load and perform duties in laboratories, lecture halls, and classrooms. The stipends for fully-funded assistantships generally begin at $6,500 plus any negotiated increases for the academic year in addition to waiver of tuition in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the SUNY Board of Trustees.
Applicants for academic assistantships should indicate their interest on the graduate application form.
Graduate Diversity Fellowship Program
To be eligible, applicants must:
- be a U.S. citizen or have permanent resident status, and
- demonstrate how they will contribute to the diversity of the student body in the program for which they are applying, including having overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education. Economic disadvantage, although not a requirement, may be the basis for eligibility under this category.
Membership in a racial/ethnic group that is under-represented in the graduate or professional program involved may serve as a plus factor in making awards, but may not form the sole basis of such an award and every student applicant shall be evaluated on his or her own merits. For details, students should contact the Office of Graduate Studies, (716) 673-3808 or email graduate.studies@fredonia.edu.